


You'll Never See It Coming

by Morning_Star57



Series: Polythieves [2]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Akechi Goro Lives, Akechi Goro Redemption, Akira is a Little Shit, Akira is not subtle, Bottom Sakamoto Ryuji, Coffee Dad Sakura Sojiro, EVERYONE LOVES EACH OTHER, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Good Boy Sakamoto Ryuji, Implied Sexual Content, Kawakami also knows, M/M, Motherly Kawakami, Multi, Not Beta Read, Persona 5 Protagonist is named Akira, Phantom Thief Akechi Goro, Polyamory, Polythieves (Persona 5), and tell me that boy isn't a bottom, ann is also ready to Fight, ann is possessive, because look me in the eye, but nothing outright sexual, i dare you, no one is sleeping with the cat, sojiro knows about the Metaverse, they are all willing to fight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24316183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morning_Star57/pseuds/Morning_Star57
Summary: A series of oneshots dedicated to polythieves. (Some parts may become series, and they will be indicated.)
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Kitagawa Yusuke/Kurusu Akira, Kitagawa Yusuke/Takamaki Ann, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto, Kurusu Akira/Okumura Haru, Kurusu Akira/Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann, Kurusu Akira/Sakura Futaba, Kurusu Akira/Takamaki Ann, Niijima Makoto/Okumura Haru, Niijima Makoto/Sakura Futaba, Niijima Makoto/Takamaki Ann, Okumura Haru/Takamaki Ann, Phantom Thieves of Hearts/Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann
Series: Polythieves [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1715926
Comments: 21
Kudos: 279





	1. Possessive

**Author's Note:**

> Me?? Headcanon that Ann is possessive?? It's more likely than you think.

At first, it was weird how Ann’s first  _ real _ relationship was actually relation _ ships _ . But now, she wouldn’t have had any other way. She loved her team, her friends, her family, her lovers. Hers.

  


“Panthers are known to be territorial animals.” Futaba once joked. 

  


And how right she was. 

  


Ann had surprised herself with just how possessive she actually was, and there were times when she embarrassed herself with it, if she were honest. But then she saw her lipstick stains on Akira’s neck, or on Makoto’s cheek and the satisfaction that it brought her was too good to pass up. It didn’t help that the others would tease or encourage her. 

  


So when a pretty girl from class, Yumiko, if she remembered correctly, decided that she was brave enough to flirt with the school’s resident criminal, Ann sat herself on Akira’s desk and gave her a saccharine smile that was all teeth and reminiscent of the smile Panther would give Shadows before she burned them to a crisp. 

  


And when Yumiko continued to bat her eyelashes and invited Akira out to eat, he didn’t even get the chance to open his mouth and decline before Ann slid right into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  


“Sorry, he has plans to do…  _ something _ else.” 

  


Honestly, watching the poor girl falter and flush red before scurrying away should not have sent a thrill through her spine. Some part of her wondered if she should feel guilty about that.

  


(But then, later, when Akira had her pinned up against a wall, his lips on hers, holding her by her hips with her hands in his unruly curls and her legs wrapped around his waist and she forgot all about it.)

  


Similarly, seeing some shady guy flirt with Makoto, Haru, or even Futaba while they had a girl’s night made her wish she could summon Hecate in the real world, if only to see the pervert’s eyes widen in fear. But wrapping her arms around the shoulders of the closest one, and kissing her neck while making eye contact with the guy was usually enough to send them packing. Also, it was cute seeing Makoto blush while scolding her, Futaba burying her face in her jacket, and or Haru giggling and hiding her face. So, really, it was a win-win scenario. 

  


Then there were Ryuji and Yusuke. Poor guys were too pretty to not be noticed, and while Yusuke’s idiosyncrasies and Ryuji’s brashness tended to do Ann’s job for her, some people were still unbothered and tried to steal away their attention. 

  


Oh, well.

  


Nothing a slap to the butt and her arms wrapped around their midsection can’t fix. Of course, if  _ that  _ didn’t work, Ann had no problem launching herself into their arms for them to catch. They usually stopped paying attention to the other person once she had made herself comfortable on her throne. 

  


And, when Goro joined their little dynamic, it had taken a bit for her to warm up to him. She was still apprehensive, still weary. She was, however, one of the firsts to fully accept him. And that was made clear when she flat out grabbed his tie and yanked him down to her height to kiss him senseless when a few of his fangirls got too bold for her liking. Goro was left breathless and with dark red lipstick on his mouth as he and the rest of the team rushed back to Leblanc.

  


So, yeah, saying that Ann was a bit possessive would be an understatement. So when Haru joked that she was going to get the team matching collars that read “Property of Ann Takamaki,” Ann had marked her with the same red lipstick that had marked Goro earlier that night, and will eventually mark the others later on. 


	2. Kids These Days Aren't Subtle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sadayo Kawakami is actually a very perceptive person and boy does she regret it.

Sadayo Kawakami knew that there was something going on between her two students, Kurusu and Takamaki. She didn’t know  _ what _ exactly, but she knew it was  _ something _ . There were days when Takamaki would come into class and she would notice a faint limp in her stride. Nothing too bad, but just there enough for her to catch. At first, Sadayo thought that maybe it had something to do with her job. She was a model, so maybe she just tripped in heels or something? 

And then Kurusu walked in once after her with a barely concealed bruise on his neck and a smug smirk on his face and - oh. 

_ Oh _ ! 

Sadayo blushed at her realization before shaking her head and continuing to set up for her lesson. Kids these days. 

* * *

Sakamoto was waiting outside the classroom, as usual, for his two friends. Idly, Sadayo wondered if he knew about the relationship between Takamaki and Kurusu. Not that it was any of her business, though. So, as she walked out of her class, she gave him a smile (which he returned) and kept walking towards the teacher’s room. 

Setting down her things, Sadayo went to start grading the papers she was just given by her students when she realized she had forgotten her purse at her desk. Swearing softly to herself, she stood up and left to go get it. When she exited her classroom again, she noticed from the corner of her eye that Sakamoto and Kurusu were standing awfully close to each other. She was going to just walk away- again, none of her business as their teacher - when Sakamoto swooped in and managed to land a kiss on Kurusu’s smiling lips. Sadayo’s eyes widened. Had she assumed wrong? Apparently. 

Still, she hoisted her purse a little higher and went back to the teacher’s room. It truly was none of her business. But, seeing such public display of affection flustered her a bit.

Kids these days are so  _ bold _ !

* * *

At this point, Sadayo was pretty sure that Kurusu and Takamaki were actually dating. Those two weren’t exactly subtle. But what stumped her was the question of where did Sakamoto fit into all of this? She had seen him and Kurusu kiss before (multiple times since the first, actually. It seemed subtlety was not something the Sakamoto was good at either), but the way Takamaki and Kurusu looked at each other was way too intense for anything platonic! 

She was so caught up in trying to make sense of her students’ behaviors that she almost missed Sakamoto running by. Almost. She looked up in time to see Takamaki throw herself into his arms and cuddle up to his chest while Kurusu watched with a smile. Kurusu then proceeded to kiss Sakamoto’s cheek and it clicked. 

Geez, these kids really  _ were  _ bold. 

* * *

At this point, Sadayo worried she would have to suggest some form of Sex Ed for them. Takamaki had limped in again with what seemed to be concealer smudged on her jacket and Kurusu’s mouth was suspiciously red. 

Sadayo shook her head and called for attention as she started her lesson.

* * *

At the end of the school day, Sadayo was surprised to see Niijima standing outside her door. The girl was usually in the student council room, or in the library. But before Sadayo could go out and ask her if she needed anything, Sakamoto showed up and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Sadayo watched in shock as Niijima smiled and kissed his cheek quickly, before putting distance between them. Then, Takamaki and Kurusu walked out and Takamaki had once again launched herself into Niijima’s side, giddy as can be. 

She was shocked, to say the least. Niijima was the last person she’d think was in this kind of relationship. She just seemed so _traditional_ , for the lack of a better word. A polyamorous relationship with not one, but _two_ presumed delinquents, as well as another girl was not something anyone would think Niijima to take part of. Sadayo quickly walked out and headed for the teacher’s room. 

She needed coffee. 

* * *

Sadayo didn’t know when Kurusu became Akira, probably when he had helped her move past her unhealthy transactional relationship with Takase’s guardians, or maybe it was sooner, after he discovered her second job. She was thankful for his help and made sure that he knew so. He seemed to trust her as well. Maybe that’s why he confirmed that he, Ann, Ryuji, Makoto, and Yusuke, which she had yet to meet, were all in a relationship with each other. And they were the Phantom Thieves, but that was something Sadayo managed to figure out on her own. 

(Looking back, she had no idea how he managed to keep it hidden from her, or anyone really, for so long. The group wasn’t exactly the most subtle.)

She made sure to offer her support and had even slipped him some protection when he asked for it, much to both of their embarrassment. She rationalized it by saying that she would rather them be safe than sorry. It helped. Not completely, but it helped. 

Still, it wasn’t a stretch to say that she had grown rather close to her student, and later on his paramours. Which is why she noticed when another had joined their dynamic. 

Okumura Haru was a sweet girl. Quiet, and usually kept her head down, but whenever she had gotten the chance to speak to her, she was always obliging and courteous. It was why she was asked to chaperone the Hawaii trip. So imagine Sadayo’s surprise when she walked out into the courtyard to find Akira and Okumura in the middle of a  _ very intense _ liplock. Sadayo just rolled her eyes and kept walking. She was going to have to have a talk with Akira about the meaning of the word  _ subtlety _ , damn it! She shouldn’t have to worry about walking out of her classroom and seeing her students going at it with each other! And on that note, maybe a talk about privacy is also warranted, considering how public and unexposed this act and position, as well as many others she had caught them in, was. 

Kids these days, gosh! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the thought of someone always being the unlucky person that has to bear witness to the thieve's bs. Kawakami is now that person. She is also very much over it lol


	3. Heatwave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team planned to go to the Metaverse that day. But the weather had different plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super short but the thought wouldn't leave my head. Enjoy!

“Shouldn’t we be goin’ to the Metaverse or something?” Ryuji asked. However, he made no real move to leave his spot, cuddled up to Yuskue’s leg. 

Makoto, who had claimed Yuskue’s left arm, nodded. “Yes, we definitely should.” She didn’t move either. 

Something that the team had noticed some interesting side effects from awakening their Personas. Their real world selves had changed in ways that they didn’t really understand, but somehow made sense. Just small things that no one would actually notice, not unless they were as close to the group as they were to themselves. 

For example, Ryuji. His anger came quick and sudden, just like the lightning he threw at Shadows. His energy was so intense that those around him felt their hair stand to attention, smelled ozone in their air. Touching him had an almost certainty of giving you a small shock. The team was used to it. 

Ann’s fire burned more than her enemies. It burned in her eyes, on her skin. Giving the girl a handshake was like putting your hand on the bottom of your laptop after using it for hours. She smelled like a campfire on the best days and had a presence about her that dared you to stare, only to suffer the consequences for it later. 

Employees at Big Bang Burger could attest to the sudden ringing in the ears of people who look into Haru’s eyes for just a little too long. Her classmates can attest to the headaches that come from standing too close to her, as well as the terror that involuntarily shoots through their spines when she smiles, prettily with all teeth glinting with an untold promise of pain. 

So when a heatwave hit the city, the team decided that cuddling up to their resident air conditioner, Yuskue Kitagawa, was the best way to go. His touch was as frozen as his demeanor towards his enemies. But to his team, his lovers, he was cool and sweet. And right now, they were taking full advantage of it.  Akira, who had taken pity on the taller boy, had switched out his persona to Jack Frost and sat on Yuskue’s right, successfully sandwiching Ann, who was suffering the worst from the heat, between the two. Haru was snuggled up on his other side, while Futaba laid between his legs, her head on leaning onto his left one while she played a game on her phone. 

“You are all ridiculous.” Morgana scoffed, his tail flicking idly behind him. He was seated on top of Akira’s lap, opposite to Futaba while Harus absentmindedly stroked his fur. He too made no move to leave his current position. 

“We could just go later.” Ann mentioned. Futbaba nodded against Akira’s leg.

“Yup the shadows aren’t going anywhere, so we could hold off a little longer.” 

“Later.” Akira agreed, his head lulling to the side and resting on top of Haru’s. She giggled and sighed. 

They never made it into the Metaverse that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never have I ever: fanfic writer edition. Put a finger down if you ever wrote your first smut and felt like you needed to be cleansed so you finish a fluffy wip from your drafts in order to attone for your sins. *puts a finger down*


	4. Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto had a thing for looking into people's eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Pride to all of my lgbtq+ readers and allies!

Her father once said that eye contact was very important. Little Sae had joked that it was meant to assert your dominance. Even littler Makoto took that to heart. So she began looking at people in the eye, sometimes unblinkingly so. Understandably, this unnerved many. Having a little girl with deep red eyes staring into your soul would unnerve anyone. As she got older, after her father had passed and Sae started smiling less and less, eye contact was still important to her. She had learned to recognize when someone started getting antsy by her look, so she learned how to blink and smile at appropriate times. She learned when someone was lying to her whenever their eyes would shift, so she learned how to use her unusual eye coloring to her advantage and intimidate the truth out of them. She learned how to read and react to people through eye contact. She could tell when someone was amused, or irritated, stressed, or even hurting and sad. 

  


Maybe that’s why she stopped looking into Sae’s eyes. 

* * *

Makoto found herself staring into her own eyes often. They were weird, uncommon, freaky, scary and every other thing they’ve been called during her lifetime. But they were hers so she decided to like them. She noticed that if she looked hard enough, she could distance herself from her reflection and read her own eyes. 

  


The girl in the mirror was sad, lonely, quiet, obedient. She didn’t want to be, but she was. She couldn’t disappoint her sis. So she had to obey and follow- no, lead (following is for those who are unsuccessful in life) - the crowd. So that’s what she did, no matter how hard her jaw and fists clenched. 

  


When she awoke her Persona, the anger that had built up over the years, the defiance, the  _ rage _ had been released in a whirlwind of fire and had broken the floor beneath her feet with a single stomp. It was satisfying, it was exhilarating, it was powerful, it was  _ nuclear _ ! Calling Johanna’s name felt like taking a gulp of air after being submerged in water. When it was over, she felt lighter than she had in years, and also more exhausted. But the good kind of exhaustion. 

  


She went home that night and looked into the mirror. She didn’t recognize the girl that stared back, but she was determined to get to know her.

* * *

Haru Okumura wasn’t anything special. Really, the only thing that stood out to her when they first met was her fluffy, poodle-like hair that was lighter than your average Japanese woman’s. Other than that, she was average. Makoto didn’t particularly like Haru. Nothing against the girl, she was great, perfect. Makoto saw herself in Haru a lot more than she would like to admit. Haru was meek, quiet, and compliant. A teacher would ask her to do something and no questions asked, she’d follow the command. Makoto saw herself in those moments and disliked how she knew that they were alike in that regard. Quiet, obedient. 

  


Still, Makoto looked in her eyes. And what eyes they were. They were exceptionally kind and open. It was refreshing being able to look in a peer’s eyes and not see fear, distaste, or disappointment (which is somehow worse than the other two). As they got older, Haru’s eyes started to hold something more bold, more defiant. Makoto found herself longing for the day that Haru would act on those wishes and snap at someone. Longed for the day that they both could. But Haru never did, so neither did Makoto.

  


When she had awakened her Persona, she continued to look in Haru’s eyes. But this time, she didn’t want to observe, she wanted to convey.  _ Break free from this! You don’t have to obey! _ But Haru continued on with her head bowed and eyes pained and angry. 

  


Watching Haru call upon Milady was almost as satisfying as calling upon Johanna. Finally, the defiance and anger in Haru’s eyes were no longer trapped but released into the world in the shape of psionic magic that left their ears ringing and the swing of her battle axe aimed for the enemy’s throat. There was something beautiful about how graceful Haru looked while her eyes held something wild and, frankly, sadistic. A stark contrast to the motherly, and caring look in her eyes when she was around the other Thieves. 

  


Makoto found herself loving it, and her. 

* * *

Unlike Haru and Makoto, Ryuji was not quiet, obedient. Makoto doubted he ever was. A small part of her envied that. He was thick skulled with loud thoughts and an even louder mouth that held no secrets. He wore his emotions on his sleeves and even if he wouldn’t admit to his anger, or his sadness, his voice and body were expressive enough that those emotions were plainly conveyed either way. 

  


It was for this reason Makoto didn’t bother looking too deeply into Ryuji’s eyes at first. She still looked ( _ assert your dominance _ said the childish voice of her sister teasingly), if only to convey her own message and snuff out any lies he managed to hide from his body. But other than that, she found no need. Again, his entire existence was laid out for the world to see if you just glanced at him.

  


But after Kamoshida came to the school, the track was disbanded and Ryuji’s career as a runner was put to an end, Makoto found herself seeking out his eyes. She didn’t know what possessed her to do so, but something did and what she found left her breathless. The emotion shown with his body was nothing compared to the passion in Ryuji held in his eyes. The clear defiance he’d hide by lowering his head whenever a teacher scolded him, the protectiveness whenever he heard someone whisper about his new friend, the transfer student. And all of that was magnified when they made direct eye contact while she confronted the small group on the roof. Idly, Makoto wondered how expressive his eyes would be under different emotional situations. 

  


(Later on, she would find out and blush heavily under the intensity of his affectionate gaze.)

* * *

Ann saddened and angered her at the same time. She was the same lonely, sad girl who frowned and sighed when she was by herself that Makoto saw in the mirror. But instead of seeing her on a reflective surface, she was seeing her in the halls, in the courtyard, while walking into the bathroom. Makoto hated how sad and dull her eyes were. Not in color, no, Ann’d eyes, much like the rest of her, were absolutely beautiful. But they were dulled in emotion, any passion that Makoto had seen when she first saw Ann in her first year of high school was wiped clean by the time she was in her second. The only time she saw any spark was when Ann was with her friend, Shiho (who also had such lovely, broken, eyes herself, Makoto thought sadly) and even then there was an underlying pain in them. 

  


It angered her how she could let herself see someone lose something so vital that their eyes became dull while she did nothing to help. But she couldn’t, she tried to remind herself, she didn’t even know the girl, how could she help? 

  


But that changed when Shiho had jumped from the roof. Ann’s eyes were lit up with fury and determination. So much so that Makoto worried for whoever had ignited such passion in the normally passive girl. And then Kamoshida had confessed to his crimes and said he would kill himself to atone, and the passion in Ann’s eyes bled into her voice as she yelled at him for trying to take the easy way out. And then, whenever Makoto saw Ann from that point, she would try to find a way to look into her eyes and was mesmerized by how passionate, how bright, they were after such an incident. 

  


Now, that passion was directed at her,  _ for _ her, and Ann’s eyes were so expressive and open about how much she loved her and - oh! Makoto was blushing again.

* * *

The transfer student was a criminal, as the rumors stated. Arrested for assault, if they were true (but then again, he apparently also murdered his parents, did drugs, beat puppies, and robbed banks regularly so were they really reliable?). Despite the nature of her father’s and her sister’s work, Makoto had never truly seen a criminal in real life, at least not close enough to where she could look into their eyes. Maybe that’s where the morbid fascination started. The chance to look into and analyze an actual criminal’s eyes. 

  


But that was definitely easier said than done. Not only did the transfer-  _ Akira _ , if she remembered correctly -wear the most ridiculously sized pair of glasses that hid his eyes, he was also the most laid back and  _ chillest _ person she’d ever seen! His body was devoid of any real emotion, the most extreme reaction she’d seen thus far was him shifting his stance when surprised. And because of those damn glasses, not to mention that  _ hair _ , she couldn’t really read his eyes so that was out the window. 

  


The first time she was able to look properly into his eyes was on the roof. He was in a relaxed position, elbows on his spread knees and his chin resting on his closed hands. She questioned him. He answered. Calm, cool, and collected. It infuriated her. His eyes weren’t that far off from his outward demeanor; calm, cool, and infuriatingly collected. But then she mentioned that she’d be closing down the rooftop, and the first emotion filtered into his eyes: defiance. It was fleeting, only lasting about a second before he was back to being calm, cool, and collected, but she saw it. He had recognized her as an authority figure and had a knee jerk reaction to defy her. She allowed herself the satisfaction that she felt at making him slip. 

  


And that was only the beginning. 

  


She started trailing him whenever he went out to Shibuya, had tricked his cellphone number out of his guardian, and ignored the voice in her head that called her a stalker. He knew she was following him, and she knew that he knew that she was following him but still she didn’t stop. It was only when he actively talked to her during one of her little stunts did she see the next clear emotion: amusement. Bastard was taking joy in watching her awkwardly squirm whenever he stopped her in the street. 

  


After they had taken her to the palace, she began seeing more and more emotions until she could easily read his eyes, even behind those stupid glasses. Pain, amusement, sadistic joy, mocking humility, embarrassment, she ate it all up and found herself wanting more. 

  


And when he looked into her eyes, without his glasses, with such an intensity it made her knees weak, she wondered if this is how people felt whenever she would stare them down.

* * *

Meeting Yusuke was different and interesting. Like Akira, he wasn’t the most expressive person in the planet (unless, of course, he was talking about his artistic muse of the day, then his passion was almost suffocating), but unlike Akira, it wasn’t in the cool way that made her want to strangle him. His eyes were light and seemed to find beauty in the most unlikeliest of places, and the way his passion bled from his eyes and into his voice and body was beautiful to watch. 

  


Similarly, it was breathtaking how much anger and violence one look from the normally dreamy man can hold as he brandished his blade and struck down Shadow after Shadow. Makoto found herself enjoying Yusuke’s company for the sole reason of studying his eyes, open and honest as they were, there was so much more to them and she craved to know every intricacy of his mind. 

  


Watching Yusuke paint was also phenomenal. His eyes were bright and followed through with each and every brushstroke. And the pride and adoration that his gaze held whenever he saw his finished pieces, well, that sent the butterflies in Makoto’s stomach wild. But the butterflies were the least of problems when Yusuke transferred that same proud and adoring look onto her.

  


Makoto never did feel more beautiful than in the moments where she was under Yusuke’s gaze.

* * *

Futaba, like Akira, wore glasses, and had a habit of keeping her head down, so looking into her eyes was harder than she cared to admit. But whenever she had managed to take a glimpse, her heart broke. 

  


Fear and uncertainty were the first things she noticed when she looked in Futaba’s eyes. It didn’t surprise her, not really. The girl had been through so much,  _ too much _ , that Makoto would be more surprised if she didn’t have that look. It set off something in her, something that urged her to protect and defend the younger girl with such sad eyes. Even when she so offhandedly stalked away or said something frank or inappropriate, her eyes still held that fear. It was her self defense. Makoto could relate. 

  


After a little work from her and Ann, Makoto noticed that Futaba’s eyes became more and more expressive. They were mischievous and lit up whenever something caught her interest. There was still that underlying fear at certain times, but she was getting better. And Makoto was so,  _ so  _ proud. 

  


And there was something so satisfying about watching Futaba’s eyes brighten when she entered the room for a team meeting that it made her heart soar. 

* * *

Morgana made Makoto dizzy in so many ways. The first of which being that he was a  _ talking cat _ that insisted he  _ wasn’t _ a cat. The second being that she wasn’t exactly used to reading body language from a not-cat, and Morgana was too small for her to actively seek out his eyes, so really she was at a loss. 

  


It was only when Morgana was perched on top of a table, or in Akira’s bag or shoulder, or just plainly looking up at them that she could properly see him. He had very pretty eyes, but they usually told a different story than what his usually brash and frank words would tell. He might be haughty and demanding, but there are times when she could see the uncertainty, the fear of not knowing who or what he was, clear as day in his eyes. 

  


It was moments like these that had her heart break for him. But he doesn’t like being coddled so when he would turn up his nose in mock annoyance, she would scratch his ears and tell him that he’s being ridiculous in the fondest voice she could muster.

* * *

For the longest time, Makoto didn’t like looking into Akechi’s eyes. There was something about them that made her uneasy, so she tended to look past his eyes and focus on something else, like the space between his eyes or a strand of hair that had fallen from place. Her discomfort of looking in his eyes angered her, made her feel weak. She didn’t know why she couldn’t look him in the eye. He wasn’t necessarily cruel to her, a little rude at times and arrogant at (what she previously thought was) his worse but not cruel. And yet, his eyes frightened her in a way that she just couldn’t understand. 

  


When she awoke her Persona, she tried looking in his eyes again. She found that she was able to, but still ended up looking away first. As she grew more and more confident in herself and strayed further from her obedient shell, she found that she could stare into his eyes just as intensely as she could stare into anyone else’s. What she didn’t expect was that Akechi would stare back. There have been times where their conversation had lulled and they had resorted into a staring contest that wouldn’t break until Sae had come to take one of them away. Even then, they would stare until one of them couldn’t. 

  


Then he struck a deal and joined the Phantom Thieves inside of Sae’s heart. She would discreetly seek out his eyes and was surprised to see the enjoyment in them when he would defeat a Shadow. She didn’t know whether the enjoyment stemmed from summoning his Persona, or if it came from the, admittedly, cruel way that would strike down a particularly difficult Shadow. It was the first time she could see some semblance of the real Akechi Goro, the one that was planning on destroying everything they’ve worked for, the one that was slowly, and presumably unintentionally, inching his way into their little dynamic. 

  


(Some part of her hoped that some of his enjoyment came from being with them.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went a little crazy with some people's parts and honestly? it shows. Honestly, sometimes I feel like I write character studies in the form of fanfiction.


	5. First Loves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Phantom Thieves are destined to fall in love with their killer and are, for the most part, okay with it.

They knew that Akechi was lying to them. They knew that he was shady and they really shouldn’t trust him as far as they could throw him (without the help of their personas). 

But they also knew that it was inevitable that they would end up loving him. It felt so right when he was with them, it felt so natural to depend on him to protect their blind spots whenever they snuck around the metaverse. And when Akechi jumped in front of an attack meant for the caught off guard Futaba, they knew that it would be only a matter of time before they all ended up falling for him. 

* * *

The first one to fall was Futaba. It wasn’t as surprising as it should have been, he did save her life after all. He was generally gentle with her, but at the same time wasn’t afraid to get snarky and petty. Especially when they started ~~fighting~~ talking about Phoenix Ranger Featherman R. She found herself enjoying his company. Of course she wouldn’t admit it, not until she was sure that this wasn’t some twisted version of hero worship and that her view of him wasn’t being distorted by it. When she realized that, nope, Akechi was still a cocky piece of crap with a handsome face, but could make her heart beat a little faster whenever he genuinely smiled, she accepted her crush, albeit a little grudgingly, and told Akira. He paused for a moment, thought over her confession, and nodded with a small smile. 

And thus, it only snowballed from there.

The second to catch feelings was Makoto. She had known him the longest, so maybe she was actually the first? Admittedly, she wasn’t the best with matters of the heart so she didn’t really notice it. But she did know that she found herself looking forward to their conversations and debates more and more. It wasn’t until she and Akechi were having a metaphorically philosophical debate while waiting on Sae to come out of her office, and one of the guards chuckled and wistfully said, “Ah, young love!” did she realize that, oh, maybe this feeling is more than friendly. They both blushed and denied the claim, only to receive a knowing smile and an unapologetic apology. After that incident, Makoto found herself thinking about Akechi at inconvenient times. It wasn’t until she spaced out, thinking about how pretty he was, while talking to him that she finally accepted her feelings. 

Third one down was Akira. No surprise there. After Futaba had come to him, angrily ranting about how she wanted to kiss Akechi’s stupidly punchable, handsome face, he had begun to think about Akechi’s stupidly punchable, handsome face some more. A lot more actually. As well as his pretty brown hair, and those reddish-brown eyes that were so similar to the ones Makoto boasts yet shine with a different kind of light. Akechi would stop him at the train station and they would have a conversation and Akira found himself sneaking glances at Akechi’s lips, longing for a taste- oh crap. Well, good thing his charm stats were maxed out, he thought mischievously.

Ann swore up and down that she wasn't going to do it. She wasn’t. Nope. Nuh uh, not her. Akechi would sooner catch her hands before she would catch feelings. He was irritatingly nice, fake, and unfortunately handsome. Protectiveness was nothing new to Ann, but feeling it for the guy who was planning on killing her Joker certainly was. She guessed it started when he showed his own protectiveness of her. They found each other in Shibuya, both heading towards LeBlanc, when two men started leering and catcalling her. She was used to this and was prepared to ignore them, maybe send a raised middle finger and a swear their way, when Akechi bared his teeth in a mockery of a smile and subtly flashed his badge at them. "Is there a problem gentlemen?" Apparently not because they scampered away and left them alone. Ann begrudgingly accepted that she found it endearing and took a hold of his arm. If he was going to protect her, then she sure as hell was going to protect him from his own unwanted attention.

Next up was Yusuke and, honestly, it was Akira’s fault. Akira had the grand idea of inviting Akechi with him when going to hang out with Yusuke and it went downhill from there. Akechi was surprisingly knowledgeable on different art styles. It was refreshing, honestly. The only ones that truly knew anything about art were Akira, who’s knowledge was mostly due to Yusuke himself, Makoto, who knew things, but wasn’t invested enough to actually have a discussion, and Haru, who could identify classics, but it was on her father’s insistence and she didn’t really know much about them. Not that Yusuke minded their lack of knowledge, for the most part they were willing to learn, for his sake if anything, but it was nice to be able to talk about his passion without having to explain the more base parts of it. So that’s how Yusuke found himself entrapped in a discussion with Akechi, and slowly started paying attention to just how aesthetically pleasing he was. He would very much like to paint him. When he expressed this sentiment out loud, he was met with a pretty blush that made his heart soar. He took out his sketchbook and started to sketch Akechi, blatantly ignoring Akira’s smug smirk in the background. 

Ryuji was also a victim of Akira's meddling. That bastard. He invited Akechi to eat with him and Ryuji, much to the faux blond’s initial disapproval. After some awkward silences, and a lot of intervention on Akira’s part, Ryuji and Akechi soon started to get along. They found things to bond over, mostly fitness techniques since they both had some type of required training. ~~Help Akira please, he’s in love with jocks.~~ After their light conversation passed, things got heavier. Turns out Ryuji and Akechi share more in common than just their work out regimen, namely their lack of good father figures in their life. It was odd knowingly opening up to someone who was planning on hurting him, but it was nice to get that out there and have someone understand. Maybe Akechi wasn't so bad... It only got worse from there. Turns out that saving team members wasn't just a one time thing. Ryuji, not paying attention, was almost attacked by an enemy's Garudyne, only for Akechi to jump in and tackle him out of the way first. _I really want to kiss him right now,_ Ryuji couldn't help but think as Akechi scolded him.

Haru was understandably the most reluctant to accept Akechi. He was her father’s killer. It took her a bit to not to glance at him wearily, or coldly brush him off. But anger wasn't something she wanted to hang on to- she's seen what it does to people and it wasn't pretty- it wasn't her style. So she tried to not flinch when Akechi looked at her, not to recoil at his smile, wondering if it was the same he gave her father before pulling the trigger. Naturally, he noticed her hesitation and confronted her as gently as his façade would allow. She regarded him carefully, and told him what her father wanted to do to her, how she would have ended up had she not met the Phantom Thieves. "He wasn't a good man," she admitted. "Barely even a father, but he was mine and I loved him." He didn't understand, he told her, but he was sorry for what happened. She smiled and told him she accepted his apology. She couldn't forget what happened, but she was willing to forgive and move forward. 

Morgana was rightfully weary of Akechi. These were his thieves, his best friends and Akechi was a threat to that. To everything and everyone Morgana held dear. Morgana had no idea how to feel about his team wanting to get intimately close to the person who will cause them suffering, who has caused them suffering! He called Joker a fool for deviating from their initial plan. Joker was inclined to agree with a smug smirk as his eyes trailed Akechi's form. Morgana scoffed and strutted away. The next day, he somehow found himself seated next to Akechi, the two of them sharing Metaverse theories back and forth. Akechi praised him for his instinctual knowledge of the Metaverse in a way that was too awed to be fake. Luckily, Morgana was in cat form so no one could see his embarrassed and flattered blush (not that his team didn't already know his body language and teased him mercilessly). Maybe Akechi wasn't so bad. 

* * *

Akechi didn't know what to think of all the sudden affection being thrown at him. He wasn't here for the long run, he made that clear, though they didn't know what that really meant. Oh, well, might as well accept it, he's come this far. No amount of affection would deter him from his goal. 

("Hey, man, you comin' with us?" Ryuji called from the Monabus. The rest of the Phantom Thieves were giving him wide smiles and hopeful looks. Akechi looked at Akira, who nodded his head and held his hand out. Akechi accepted it.)

Or so he keeps telling himself.


End file.
